The exterior screams "Stay Away!", but the interior is filled with knicknacks (they sell novelties at the counter) and it is very bland. I am not sure how they stay in business because I never see anyone here.
The food is decent, nothing to write home about. The portions are normal. I had the duck dish and it was cold in the middle. I take it that the food was cooked prior and kept in a freezer and rewarmed when ordered.
Their curries are decent but I ask for extra spices because it tasted a bit diluted. Not bad Thai food for Northwest Indiana...
I don't know many other places in the area to get Thai food but after trying out Exotic Thai for take-out I won't be looking for anywhere else. Â My parents live nearby and now that my mom has ventured into Thai food she can't get enough. Â When I'm visiting its one our favorite places to order in from. Â I can't comment on the authenticity of the entire menu but I can tell you what I like. Â The Thai Basil Noodles with Chicken and also the Thai Basil "Adventure" with Chicken (served with rice) are both great. Â They are the same sauce/flavor but the rice vs. noodle give you a slightly different texture. Â We order both and share them. Â Its actually enough for about two meals for each of us. Â Last trip we decided to try the won ton soup. Â For us that was a major fail. Â We're not ones for over salted dishes so this is not something we'll order again. Â It was a hodge podge of ingredients from won tons to glass noodles, chicken to shrimp and a mix of whatever veggies were around. Â Again our staples never disappoint. Â Overall I say, check it out...I think you'll enjoy it.
Review Source:I have always been a fan of Exotic Thai. I have never once been disappointed with anything that I've ordered.
I think the best time to visit is for the lunch special Monday through Friday. Their lunch combos are an awesome value. For $6-$7 you get hot tea, soup, salad, and a "smaller" lunch portion of the entree you select.
The salad is the perfect size for an appetizer and is adorned with one of the best Asian dressings that I've ever had. Along with the salad comes a cup of soup. They rotate soups, but I've enjoyed most that I've had. The entrees are all delicious and freshly made. The portions are supposedly a smaller lunch portion, but I usually have difficulty finishing it all.
Nothing I've had is bad, but the pad thai is top notch in my opinion and the prik-king is great too. My absolute favorites, however, are the curry dishes. They milky coconut sauce is amazing and goes well over the rice. I must also say that the presentation of the dishes is very nice for the price.
I highly recommend this place, especially for lunch!
Not a bad little place to get to get Thai food in NW Indiana. Not quite Siam Marina quality, but if you don't want to drive they will do just fine. Prices are modest but portions are larger. The seasoning on these dishes are a little on the weak side and not bold like many of the Thai places I've been. Nonetheless it's a place I would go back to.
Review Source:Watch out! Don't be fooled by all of those good reviews like we were. Those who think this is good are probably the type of people who consider Thai food just an extension of crappy Chinese food. (No offense.) Â If overwhelming sugar and salt are what you consider the defining flavors of Thai food, then go for it.
We had pad thai, which was drenched in broth and essentially tasted like sweet and sour sauce. It came with water chestnuts and soggy broccoli, neither of which I've seen in pad thai before. We also ordered rad na. Again, no resemblance to actual Thai food. It was sort of tasty, though, in a one-dimensional salty/garlicky sort of way. I was really hungry. Plus, I'm a sucker for big chewy noodles.
I give it two stars instead of one because we were able to eat it, and I've actually been to one Thai restaurant that was so bad I couldn't eat even a few bites (Royal Thai in Nashville).
These details seem unimportant given the bad food, but I can tell you the service was great and the decor was nice.
Best Thai in the area for a great price. 2 of us order 4 dishes and share them taking the leftovers home for work. Basil noodles and pineapple rice are my favorites and I can not resist having sticky rice. Sit down and have a Thai tea or take a bag of food home when we feel lazy on a Friday after work.
Review Source:I was so disappointed. Â I really, really did wanna like this place.
I ordered Larb Gai described as Eastern Thai Taco. Â I don't know about you but when I think of "tacos" I think of food wrapped inside of "SOMETHING". Â Hmmm... it was a ground up chicken with spices which actually didn't taste too bad with a side of salad but wasn't wrapped in anything. Â Odd.
I also ordered the Spicy Basil Fried Rice. Â Not only was it not spicy at all (my 5 year old ate it with no problem) but it was bland. Â The portion I gave my son needed a good splash of soy sauce.
And then... the Pad Thai noodles. Â The taste itself - not good. Â The dish was mostly noodles. Â It had some chicken and two pieces of shrimp, TWO. Â The dish needed more vegetables! Â There was a sprinkle of spouts in the corner and some chopped green onions throughout. Â I'm not even saying it needs different kinds of vegetables (which would be nice) but even just more of what's already in there.
None of the menu items listed above are worth what they are asking in price.
Delivery took about an hour.
But the service is super friendly.
Will I go back? Â Not sure. Â If someone suggests it I won't deny. Â Hopefully I can write an update with a much better review. Â I would really like to write an update with a much better review!
Perhaps it was just an "off" night for them...
Had lunch here with a customer recently. Was blown away by finding a place like this in Northwest Indiana. The lunch specials are great with a good selection of the typical Thai dishes. They also have some house dishes, which are good if you like cabbage (the Exotic Shrimp comes to mind.) Next time I'm having the Pad en-sew (hopefully I didn't butcher that horribly.)
Review Source:Not my favorite. Â Everything I got here was overly sweet and syrupy and sort of gross. Â Maybe they were having an off day. Â I also got this feeling that it wasn't very authentic, but what do I know? Â I'd also like to add that my dad had a terrible experience here. :[ Â I might try this place again in the future, but I'm in no hurry.
Review Source:I have been in highland for 3 months now and have seen Exotic Thai every time I get on Indianapolis Blvd. Â After many jokes about it possibly being a massage parlor I decided that I have to try it out.
Two weeks ago I was going to go for lunch but the place looked like it was closed so I went somewhere else but when I came back by I saw the open sign.
The location is not the best at all... with the businesses proximity to the intersection of 45th and Indy you have to go a block or so past the restaurant if you are coming from the east or west on 45th or if you are coming from the south on Indy. Â The same traffic obstacles are met when you leave as you are so close to the intersection if you need to go west on 45th you have to cross 5 lanes of BUSY traffic to get to the turn lanes.
Despite the challenge of getting to the place I made it for lunch today and I was very surprised.
Since this was my first time here I played it pretty safe with the Pad Thai but there were a lot of interesting dishes on the menu that I will be trying at a later date.
The dining area is very spacious and clean, the food was better than expected and the service was very good.
If you are a fan of Thai food I would highly recommend Exotic Thai.
Exotic Thai is the restaurant my husband and I go to by default. We've been going there regularly since it opened. The waitstaff is just as sweet as can be and the food is terrific. I've tried pretty much everything on the menu. The curry is what I recommend the most. Of course they aren't going to make it "Thai spicy" by default, why would they when that could offend too many palates? Here's a hint. If you want it "Thai spicy" then tell them you want it "Thai spicy". My husband can eat some seriously spicy food and Exotic Thai always delivers.
For appetizers, the Satay Chicken and Spring Rolls are good, but if you really want something different, try the Seafood Soup. It's a large enough bowl to share with a party of 4 as an appetizer and it's out-of-this world.
Like I said before, the Curry is a total win here, but the Glass Noodles and Spicy Basil are also some of my favorites. To accompany the meal, order a Thai Iced Tea!
I have been to many Thai places, most mediocre, some bad, and some great Exotic fits in the OK pile but it's probably the best Thai in the northwest Indiana region. The have reasonable prices and quick service. Last time I was there I had the glass noodles with chicken which was really good and we had what I think is really cheaply priced but good Saki. I would definitely recommend this place for good Thai food.
Review Source:Hmmm......exotic thai.....sounds a little strange and I was slightly concerned that we were walking into some weird toy shop but I digress....This hits me as thai food cooked by Americans. Â Â The pad thai was very disappointing and tasted like one of those boxed pad thai kits. Â Â My husband thought the curry was fine but overall I was not impressed. Â Â The interior has a really cold and weird vibe too. Â Â There are a lot of windows and you get the weird moment of watching the waitstaff and cook staring at you as you walk in
Review Source:This place is very good and has a nice atmosphere. As someone else said, watch that first step into the dining area! I've had nice service here and the food has always been excellent. Their friend banana/ice cream dessert is absolutely delicious. Not too expensive either. I can't wait to go back again!
Review Source:Exotic Thai has some of the best Thai food I've had. Â Everything is fresh and the spices are nicely balanced. Â
The dining room is not over decorated with some of the tackey decor you often find in NWI Asian restaurants.
The spring rolls are delicious. Â The menu is extensive without being overwhelming. Â Items are marked with a little chili if they are really spicey-hot. Â There are nice pictures on the menu too.
I'd like to see a larger beer menu. Â This is a great choice for lunch or dinner.
The signage isn't too inspiring and if you remember the skantastic Chinese place that used to be here, you might just keep driving, but don't--you'd miss out on some very fine Thai food.
I skipped on the appetizers because there wasn't any crab rangoon (I know, I know--it's not really Thai anyway!) and I'm glad I did because my green curry serving was big and delicious. Â It wasn't particularly spicy, which was sort of disappointing to me, but for folks who are a little spice-shy, this is a great option. Â My dining companions enjoyed their dishes of Panang curry, spicy basil noodles and chicken/veggies/rice so much that there weren't any leftovers. Â The only dish that fell flat was the pad thai--waaaaay too saucy for my taste . Â
Prices are reasonable, especially in an area that lacks very many other Thai joints, service was friendly and prompt and the restaurant interior is a far cry from it's former incarnation as the skeevy buffet. Â Five Star Thai Cuisine in the Pine Island strip (Crown Point, IN) is still my favorite for authentic Thai in the Region, but for a reasonable, convenient Thai fix, I'd happily visit Exotic Thai again.
Holy crap! Thai food comes to the Region? Wonders never cease! (Maybe in about 7 or 8 years I'll be able to find halfway decent sushi there.) The four stars I'm giving is another in the series of "if this place were in the city it would get two or three stars, but it's in the wasteland of NW Indiana, so I'm being generous" reviews.
So, yeah, it's pretty standard Thai food and the prices are okay, despite the fact you could get cheaper in the city (e.g. my mom ordered fried rice and it was $9.99), but then again, in the Region you're expected to pay more since it's so "exotic."
I had the Pad Thai ($7.95). Â It was a little saucier than I'm used to, and said sauce was just a little on the too-sweet side, and the few shrimp that were in it (I thought the menu only indicated chicken) were WAY overcooked, but overall it was a surprisingly pleasant experience. I've had far better, but I've had far worse, y'know?
I was also surprised at how great the service was. Our server paid attention and offered to refill our drinks any time they were getting even close to being low, which does not match my experience at most restaurants in the area.
i've had lunch from exotic thai a couple of times now and have to say that given the location, price, and competition, this place is likely to get more of my repeat business. Â there aren't many thai options around this neck of the woods and exotic thai is a welcome addition.
what it's not: Â trendy, hip, really authentic, or expensive
what it is: cheap, good, and fits the bill
This place opened, like, 3 hours ago and I've already been there twice. It's pretty righteous.
Being so new , I was really impressed with everything the restaurant had to offer--the food, the service, and even the ambience (it looks really nice for having been a rat-infested chinese buffet with shag carpeting that hadn't been updated since the 1970s just weeks before!)
Anyway, I'm a huge Thai fan and I've been getting my kicks at Siam Marina in Cal City for the past 10 years, so I'm really happy to see another Thai place open in the area. The major plus of this place is the price. You can get a terrific (and huge) meal for under $6, and you WON'T be disappointed. I had Pa-Nang curry chicken and it was tremendous...I daresay even better than Siam Marina. I love the sweetness of coconut in Thai food and they've accomplished this beautifully. The sauce was sweet, slightly spicy with a tad of curry, and i downed every last ounce of the dish.
I also had the spicy basil noodles, which was, again, a first-rate meal. If you can picture one spicy basil noodle dish at your favorite Thai restaurant that you just adore---this will rival it.
I didn't have the same experience as Annie V at all. The first time I ate there, it was the second day the place was open for business. I was suprised at how smoothly the restaurant was operating! The dining room was about 3/4 full, the wait staff was very attentive, and the food was promptly served and delicious. Our waiter was very attentive and he refilled my diet pepsi about every 5 minutes---thankfully, since I needed it to wash down my spicy pa-nang curry!
The last time I ate there, I called in my order and picked it up. The guy on the phone was very personable and somewhat humorous and the order was ready within 10 minutes. AWESOME.
Seriously, for a cheap Thai place, this is some top-rate food.
I dropped into this restaurant for a late lunch after moving items into my new house. First, I would have to compliment on the decor of the place, it has a unique look to it on the inside (the outside makes it look like nothing special). I am a huge fan of peanut sate sauce with chicken which I had for an appetizer and it was VERY disappointing. And they give you about a teaspoon amount to dip it in for 3 large pieces of chicken ( I had to ask for more). The peanut sate sauce that you can buy in a can in the grocery store is 100 times better. The next problem I had was that I was the ONLY person in the entire place and there were 2 waitresses and any time I needed something I had to track them down! Also when I needed a refill of diet pepsi I had to keep reminding them what I was drinking!!! Did I mention I was the ONLY customer there! I can see if you are waiting on 20 tables and you might forget but come on!! Then they served me my main dish which was Kang Dang in red curry sauce and it was truly delicious!! That dish is the only reason I may give this place another chance in the future. I think their prices are too high too. Â I will say that they just opened a week prior but they have a lot of work to do if they plan to survive.
Review Source:
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